Duplication system



Jan. 30, 1945.- A L. ER|CK$0N ETAL 2,368,531:i

ADUPLICATION .SYSTEM Filed May 10, 1945 4 'Sheng-sneu 1 A. L. ERICKSON -Er AL DUPLICATIVON SYSTEM Filed May 1Q, '194s` RECEIVED PAY A SHOWN ON OTHEKBIDE l SIGNED I-. :l/ -4.1 -wl Jan. 30, 1945.

Jan. 30, 1945. A. L. ERICKSON EIT'AL.

-v DUPLICATION SYSTEM Filed May 1o, 194:5

4 Sheets-Sheet 3 fda KUN; .QZ KUNIU "1539/ 7;/ m j l farnegs."

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Poi-footed Joo. 3o, 1945 UNITED sm'rlzs` PAT ENT OFFICE" nUrmcA'noN SYSTEM Andrew L. riokson, cincinnati, ohio, and Robert B. Haskell, Boston, Mass., assignors to Ditto, Incorporated, Chicago, Ill., a corporation 'of West Virginia Application May 10, 1943, Serial No. 486,316

2 Claims. lThe present invention relates to duplicating `systems and is particularly concerned with the combination of a plurality of sheets or strips in such fashion as to enable them to be usedcon- -.ioint1y andk individually to' facilitate the keeping instruments aschecks and deduction invention is not limited specifically to use in conof records-and the making out of such individual s1ips`,v The nection with payrolls but its application to pay- `rol1 transactions is. a good example of the way in .which the invention may vbe used in modern) business practices. l Y

Theinvention is embodied in a device known as a book of unit strips which comprises a multiplicity of individual sheets or cards arranged in lReferring now in detail to the drawings, they present inventionl is shown as applied to the making out of payroll checks and employees earning records. kThis is merely an example Vof itsapplication as Athe making of other records may employ the invention. In this connection the customary procedure is to gure up the payroll vfor the employees and make out a payroll summary sheet such, for example, as the summary sheet I0 shown in Fig. 1. This payroll summary sheetv is n provided with a multiplicity of columns for several entries whichare necessary inorder to idntify the employee with respect to department, So.-

overlapped, superposed relation so that a certain portion of each sheet (a width of one or more lines) is exposed on each side yof the assembly of sheets hereinafter referred lto as the'book of" unit strips. This book of unit strips may' be lbuilt up' of any desired number oiv sheets such as fifteen,

- twenty,y twenty-ve or thirty and fis used Las a single entity for thev record making.

It is the purpose of the present invention to Vprovide in a unit strip of this character cooperating parts wherebyto produce from; each strip two correlatedseparate records which are prepared from the same master record and carried together throughout the entire' preparation process, after which they are separated into individual lsheets and further separated into a plurality of individual records. A

The features and advantages of the invention will appear more fully as the description proceeds,

n reference being'had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred form of the invention is shown.V 1tshouldbe understood however that the drawings andfdescription are illustrative only and-should not be considered as limiting the invention claims.

In the drawings:

except insofar as it is limited by the cial Security number and clock number to give his rate of pay,`the pay period,the hours paid for, the gross pay, the various deductions, and the net pay all ina single line, The entries on the payroll sheet for each individual preferably are made in hectograph ink using a pen; pencil `or typewriter so that the payroll sheet may be usedV as a master sheet for duplication by the usual hectograph process. Where the duplication is to be accomplished by the liquid or mirror script process it is necessary to place a carbonvsheet against the back of the payroll summary sheet in order to produceon the rback-"of the payroll summary sheet a master having the characters in reverse. This is accomplished of course by typing or writing on the face of the sheet and having the active side of the carbon sheet facing the back of the payroll sheet. I

The making out of the payroll sheetinvolves nothing newv but in order lto use this payroll sheet as a master sheet for'the making out of the checks and earning records for the employees we vprovide a book of unit strips such as is-shown in third separation pl Fig. 1 is a plan view of payroll summary sheet that is made up as a m this invention; Y A Fig. 2 is a planview showing one side of an ogrrcrlapped assembly of sheets or book of unit s ps; l

Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the other side of the book of unit strips shown in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a plan view illustrating a plurality oi the sheets that compose the book Yof unit strips after they have been separated from each other but before they are taken out lof the overlapped relationf ter sheet in the use of Figs. 2 and 3. This book of unit strips comprises a multiplicity of sheets or strips- II. Each sheet has two separation places indicated by lines of perforations I2 and /I3 adjacent its ends and a indicated by aline of perextends between the two lines and I3 a short distance in forations I4 which of perforations/Z from one side edge of the sheet. It is to lbe understood thatthe separation may be accomplished in any other suitable manner than by using per- 'forations but that is the preferred wayof sepshown in Figs. 2 and 3 aration. The perforated Vsheets are printed as to provide'on the section Il which lies on one side of d tions I4 the same column headings as are pro- A vided on the payroll summary sheet except that in order to shorten thecheck form all ofy the clock number .column printing is so placed columns to the left of the in Fig. 1 areleft oif. The

the line of perforaas to leave space between it and the line of perforations I4 to insert the name of the company and to leave substantially a full line space between it and the free edge of the sheet I I. By

` full line space we mean the width of the space adjacent its free edge, the full line width I'I beheath which are printed identifying legends giving the clock number, instructions to pay to the person whose name is entered, check number, and week ending. This full line Space also carries a blackened section I8 which is positioned to correspond to the hours paid for, gross pay, and deduction sections of the payroll sheet. Where the full line width I1 is notneeded and the check may desirably be shorter to conform to a check size that is more desirable, another separation line (not shown) at right angles to the line I4 may be provided so that the check may be shortened. A multiplicity of these sheets are secured together in overlapped relation so as to expose a full line width of each sheet by applying ad'- hesive to the contacting faces of the end portions I9 and 20 of the sheets in spots running parallel to the edges and pressing the sheets together to, cause them to adhere to each other. When a number of the sheets have been adhered to each other in this relation this group of sheets constitutes a book of unit strips that is ready for use in the duplicating system.

When the payroll summary has been made in hectograph ink this payroll summary may be placed on a gelatin pad of a duplicating machine to transfer to the gelatin a reverse image of the data provided on the payroll sheet. When this has been done the book of unit strips is next impressed on the gelatin pad in such position as to transfer one or more lines of the image to each of the exposed portions of the section I5 of the book. The individual entries then appear on the book of unit strips, as shown in Fig. 2; that is, the actual clock numbers, names, check numbers, etc. are individually entered upon the section I5 of the several sheets in the book of unit strips. The book is then turned over and again impressed on the gelatin pad-so that at the top of the check section I6 of each sheet corresponding clock numbers, names, check numbers, etc., as shown in Fig. 3, will be entered.

The blackened sections I8 however will prevent the printing of legible records of the hours paidgross paydeductions section. In this way the blackened section I8 acts as a block-out to prevent the showing, on the face of the check, of detailed iigures as to the individuals deductions and hours of work, and the check section I6 gives only the essential information necessary for purposes of the check.

It should be noted that it is essential to register the unit strips properly with the legend on the gelatin master so that on the back side, as shown in Fig. 2, the transfer is made to the lower edge of the sheet II while on the front side, as shown in Fig. 3, the transfer is made to the top edge of the sheet II.

When the book of unit strips has been passed through the second duplicating operation it is ready for separation into its individual sheets.

The separation of the several sheets from each other is accomplished by tearing along the lines I2 and I3 so as to separate the end portions II and 20 from the sheets. 'I'his separation at the same time accomplishes a release of the section I5 and the section I6 from each other on each individual sheet to the extent that it is only necessary to tear them apart along the line of perforations I4. The end portions, having served their purpose as securing means, are thrown away, leaving a series of sheets as shown in Fig. 4. Each sheet is then passed out to the employee whose name appears at the upper lefthand corner thereof and the employee completes the separation of the section I5 from the section I6 by tearing them apart along the perforated line I4. The section I5 comprises an earning record which the employee may keep for his own record purposes, while the section I6 serves as a check which the employee may cash by presenting it to the bank upon 4which it is drawn.

It is believed that the foregoing description illustrates the manner in which the present invention is advantageously used to provide two separate records from the single copying on a payroll sheet` of the information necessary for the individual and for his check. The unit strips prepared in accordance with this invention have the advantage of being well secured at -both side edges so that they may be handled easily and without damage to the checks and earning records which remain as permanent records. The making up of checks and earning records in this fashion saves a substantial amount of labor and guarantees that the earning record and check record will be exactly the same because the information for both comes off of the same `line through a duplicating process by the simple expedient of running the unit-strip through a duplicating machine with one side in contact with the master sheet or pad and then turning the unit strip over from side to side and running it through again. While there have been shown and described certain embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modiiications. Changes, therefore, may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as described in the appended claims, in which it is the intention to claim all novelty inherent in the invention as broadly as possible, in view of the prior art.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A sheet assembly of the character described, comprising a multiplicity of like sheets arranged in overlapped relation so as to expose a portion of each sheet adjacent one side edge on one surface of the. assembly and a portion of each sheet adjacent its other side edge on the other surface of the assembly, the said sheets being secured to each other along their end edges whereby to provide a unit assembly that can be handled as a single device, each of said sheets having a line of periorations extending lengthwise thereof between the exposed sections of the sheets, said line of perforations terminating inside the secured together portions of the sheets whereby when the secured together portions are removed the sheets may be separated into two sections, one of which contains the exposed portion at one side edge of the sheet and the other of which contains the exposed portionl at the other side edge of the sheet, the exposed portion at one side edge of each sheet having a blackened section thereon.

2. An assembly pad for usein the dilplication of information on both sides of an individual rec ordV sheet which is separable into two sections.

' comprising a plurality of like sheets arranged in overlapped relation so as to expose aportion of 5 each sheet on each `ssde of the assembly, said sheets having lines of severance adjacent theopposite ends thereof and an intermediate line ofseverance connecting the first named lines between the exposed portions of the'side edges 10 thereof, the said end portions of said sheets bel l ing secured to each other whereby the assembly of sheets may be handled as a unit, the exposed portion at one side edge off each sheet; having ablackened section thereon whereby to prevent `transfer to this section of the sheet of certain of the material that is transferred to the exposed :side edge of the other section of the sheet.

'ANDREW L. ERICKSON.

ROBERT R. HASKELL. 

